Hi-Line Volleyball Roundup: Hawks, Beeters keep on rolling in 6C East

The high school volleyball season is now in high gear. And local teams are battling it out for district supremacy right now.

One of those teams that reigns supreme is the Chinook Sugarbeeters, and Thursday night, the Beeters once again showed their dominance. In a non-conference match against Fort Benton, Chinook swept the Longhorns by scores of 25-18, 25-20 and 25-19 in what was a very competitive match.

In the win, Brooke Nicholson had five kills for the Beeters, while Kelsey Mathon had three aces and Lauren Harshman had a solo block. Fort Benton got four kills and 13 digs from Hannah Pimperton.

Chinook was back in action Saturday night, and in a District 6C East rivalry match, the Beeters rolled to a three-set win over Big Sandy. Chinook bested the Pioneers by scores of 25-4, 25-16 and 25-7.

Before Big Sandy played Chinook, the Pioneers were defeated in a non-conference match by Belt. The Northern C power Huskies took down the Pioneers by scores of 25-9, 25-7 and 25-11, as it was another tough night for the young Big Sandy spikers.

In more non-conference action Friday night, a pair of Hi-Line teams won tough matches.

When Chester/J-I was a member of the 6C West, the Hawks had a big rivalry with Dutton-Brady, and the two teams renewed that rivalry Friday night. But the latest battle was no contest as the Hawks beat the Diamondbacks by scores of 25-13, 25-16 and 25-18.

C/J-I, which has been rolling as of late, got 11 kills and two blocks by Allix Goldhahn, while Erin Wolfe had 11 aces and four digs.

Meanwhile, North Star was up against a 6C West rival as well Friday night. And the Knights needed to go the distance to prevail. Against Sunburst, North Star battles for five full sets, before finally beating the Refiners by scores of 26-24, 25-19, 21-25, 21-25 and 15-10.

Sheridan O’Neil had a huge match for the Knights, with 11 kills, 14 digs and five blocks. Samantha Pester also had six service aces in the win.

Harlem, which took on Rocky Boy at home back on Tuesday night, jumped back into District 2B action Friday. But the Wildcats came up short in a 25-17, 25-21, 25-16 loss to the rival Wolves. Anita Bentley had five kills, while Jazz Benson had 11 digs for Harlem.

Meanwhile, Rocky Boy was in 1B action Saturday, but the Morning Stars had a tough time in Cut Bank, as the Wolves won by scores of 25-15, 25-18 and 25-23. Rocky Boy battled hard in each set, but it wasn’t enough to get its first district win of the season.

While North Star and C/J-I took on separate rivals Friday night, the two rivals, separated by just 15 miles, went head-to-head in a critical 6C East match Saturday night in Rudyard. And while the match was a tough one, the Hawks would get the road win, defeating the Knights by scores of 25-20, 16-25, 25-23 and 25-23.

The match was an exciting one from beginning to end. Allix Goldhahn had 17 kills for the Hawks, while Kristina Dahinden had digs and Madeline Woods served an astounding 12 aces. For the Knights, Sheridan O’Neil came up big again, tallying 17 kills and seven blocks, while Graysen Spicher had 28 assists.

This past weekend also saw the Box Elder Bears fall at Geraldine-Highwood, but rebound to beat Hays-Lodge Pole in a 6C East matchup Saturday night.

Thursday

Chinook def. Fort Benton

25-18, 25-20, 25-19

Fort Benton - Kills 9 (Hannah Pimperton 4), Assists 8 (Lexi Giles 7), Aces 5 (Giles 3), Digs 27 (Pimperton 13).

Chinook - Kills 15 (Brooke Nicholson 5), Assists 11 (Sierra Swank 3), Aces 7 (Kelsey Mathon 3), Digs 28 (Cortney Gunderson 10), Blocks 1 (Lauren Harshman).

Belt def. Big Sandy

25-9, 25-7, 25-11

Big Sandy - no statistics reported.

Belt - Kills 25 (Emily Stoker 13), Assists 24 (Addy Martin 21), Aces 16 (Stoker 6), Digs 38 (Stoker 12).

Friday

Chester/J-I def. Dutton-Brady

25-13, 25-16, 25-18

C/J-I: Aces 21 (Erin Wolfe 11), Assists 22 (Madeline Woods 12), Kills 25 (Allix Goldhahn 11), Blocks 3 (Goldhahn 2), Digs 17 (Wolfe 4)

Dutton-Brady: Kills 15 (Taylor Reeve 6), Assists 15 (Reeve 13), Digs 27 (Aubree Hitchcock 10), Aces 8 (Reeve 2, Sadie Erickson 2, Siera Proff 2)

North Star def. Sunburst

26-24, 25-19, 21-25, 21-25, 15-10

Sunburst: Aces 3 (Krista Hauschulz 1, Justine Bye 1, Carley Zell 1), Kills 16 (Hauschulz 7), Digs 30 (Hauschulz 20), Assists 16 (Katara Ryan 11)

North Star: Assists 24 (Graysen Spicher 23), Kills 26 (Sheridan O'Neil 11), Blocks 9 (O'Neil 5), Digs 40 (O'Neil 14), Aces 20 (Sam Pester 6)

Wolf Point def. Harlem

25-17, 25-21, 25-16

Harlem leaders – Kills 20 (Anita Bentley 5); assists 12 (Hailley Lame Bull 7); aces 2 (Emma Humphreys 1, Kinsey Cornell 1); digs 39 (Jazzamyn Benson 11); blocks 0.

Wolf Point leaders – Kills 17 (Aubrey Zilkoski 6); assists 13 (Kelsie Neubauer 10); aces 14 (Loverty Lindsay 7); digs 33 (Loverty Lindsay 15); blocks 6 (Aubrey Zilkoski 3).

Saturday

Cut Bank def. Rocky Boy

25-15, 25-18, 25-23

Cut Bank: Kills 20 (S. Thies 6), Assists 10 (D. Dosch 5, M. VandenBos 5), Aces 19 (VandenBos 6), Digs 30 (Dosch 10), Blocks 1 (Dosch)

Rocky Boy: not available

Chester/J-I def. North Star

25-20 16-25, 25-23, 25-23

North Star: Kills: 36 (Sheridan O'Neil 17). Blocks: 12 (O'Neil 7). Aces: 11 (Jewel Wicks 4). Digs: 74 (Chelsea Donaldson 20). Assists: 31 (Graysen Spicher 28).

C/J-I: Kills: 28 (Allix Goldhahn 17). Blocks: 6 (Erin Wolfe 2). Aces: 20 (Madeline Woods 12). Digs: 49 (Kristina Dahinden 16). Assists: 22 (Woods 12).